My Hero
by Zoinks81
Summary: A story that sort of spins out of New Comic Day. Everyone thinks they know what the inner workings of the eldest Loud sisters mind is like. Read this and you will learn it might not be what you imagined. A heart warming story between one sister and one brother, that I hope with make you smile.


Here is a kind of sort of sequel to New Comic Day. It was inspired by Codymitchell1, so thanks man for the idea. I sort of ran with it and put more focus on Lori than I intended to when I first started. Hope the story works. Also sorry of any spelling and grammar errors, was not the best student in school, and programs and tired eyes can only catch so much.

I don't own these characters, that all belongs to the people who created them and we all know who they are.

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My Hero

Lori Loud sat on her bed and stared at her phone. The blank screen mocked her. Her hands shook as the same thoughts raced through her mind over and over again _. Where the heck are you Bobby? Why haven't you called me?_ the seventeen-year-old thought to herself. It had been a week since Lori's precious boyfriend and boo boo bear had sent her a text or even called her. This was by far the longest they had ever went without talking. Even their fights had never lasted this long. It was starting to take a toll on her. Seven days without a text or call made her wonder if that looming pendulum had finally severed their relationship. It also made thoughts creep into her mind such as wondering if she was ever good enough for Bobby at all. Or for anyone for that matter.

At first Lori assumed those were just the nagging thoughts from the jealous side of her brain, making her envision random thoughts of Bobby out with another girl. Yet as the days and weeks went on and the texts and phone calls became fewer and far between, she began to listen to that jade fairy that was perched on her shoulder. After all, it was possible. Bobby did live in a new city, and there were bound to have been many beautiful women that would want to sink their claws into her boo boo bear. There would be nights where, when she closed her eyes, she could see Bobby with this mystery woman. They would be out dancing, swaying to music that would set their hearts free while flickering candles would create an aura of romantic longing. Their eyes would meet, locked in a lustful gaze as they inched closer to each other. Their lips would part, searching for each other until they became pressed together. Bobby's thoughts of his once girlfriend would fall to the side as the two would embrace, finding a new and exciting love within each other. Those thoughts were all too possible in her mind these days.

All of Lori's friends had warned her about the emotional dangers of a long distance relationship, saying it would not work, that it was better to cut their losses and just move on. Lori would not, no, she could not do that. Bobby was more than just her boo boo bear, she felt a love for him that she had never felt for anyone else. He was her first in a lot of ways, the most important being the first one she had ever wanted to spend the rest of her life with. She would fight it and they would survive this long distance predator sent to kill their love. Yet still, there was that little demon of doubt that nipped at her self-conscious, reminding her how that long distance monster had killed the budding romance of Lincoln and Ronnie Anne. Why wouldn't it set its sights on her and Bobby? They were easy prey after all.

Everyone pointed out to Lori how their relationship appeared to be one sided, with her calling almost all the shots. The term crazy had been used on more than one occasion when it came to Lori and her jealous streak. After all, not every girl could lay claim to being jealous of the Mona Lisa. Of course, that was because of how much she loved Bobby, and was always afraid he would come to his senses and realize how he could do better. _You're not pretty enough sweetie_ , that little fairy would lean in and whisper. _Your too bossy for him, better he settle down with a nice girl who will respect him and take care of him_. That little fairy would continue on and on, fanning that burning flame of self-pity and self doubt until it would grow into a raging inferno, burning up all her confidence and self esteem. Issues she often kept well hidden from her family.

Lori would often sneak off to the bathroom in the middle of the night to cry alone, feeling the weight of her world crashing down on her. The love of her life was gone, her hopes at getting into a good school were dashed. She was left with nothing but the bitter reminder of a life she was doomed to only dream about, staring back at here through a mirror.

Lori tried hard, damn hard, yet all the schools she applied to had rejected her. The words printed in the letters did not actually tell her she was not good enough, but she was able to read between the lines. If she were as smart as Lisa, or as good at sports as Lynn, even if she had the talent of Lucy or Luna, maybe then she could have made a better impression. _If you were as nice and pretty as Leni then Bobby would have stayed_ , that jaded voice chimed in. No, she was just plain old Lori Loud, the bossy sister that everyone assumed was just going to end up a cashier at a Stall-Mart, plugging away until she was old and gray. Maybe she would have a few cats and some old photos to remind her she once had potential. Lori Loud, the girl whose dreams of love and a successful career had burned up in a blaze of self-pity as she sat on her butt and stared at a phone that just would not ring. _Ring dammit! Just freaking call me already!_ , she screamed in her head.

Lori started to feel the tears well up again, she closed her eyes and fought them back. She decided a drink and some fresh air would do her good. She went to her dresser and wiped away the black makeup trail left from her previous sob session. If she happened to run across anyone else in the house she did not want them asking her any questions. Ask me no questions so I will not cry, that had been her motto over the past few weeks. Luckily it had not been too hard to avoid her family lately. Leni was spending a lot of her time with their younger sister Lisa, the child prodigy had taken it upon herself to help Leni get smarter or something. Lola and Lucy were now paling around, Lori knew there was a story there, she just decided not to look too much into it. Luan was working her butt off with her funny business, even making a new friend. Lynn and Lana were off doing their own things, and Luna was almost always off with Sam. Then there was Lincoln, who was busy splitting his time between Clyde and Kat. Lori had plenty of time to sit alone in her room and cry, wondering what went wrong in her life.

Lori regained her composer and cleaned herself up as best she could. She went to the door and cracked it open just a hair to make sure that the hallway was free and clear. Accept for Charles the family dog, the coast was indeed clear. Charles sat in the middle of the hall, his face buried between his legs.

"Charles stop licking yourself." Lori whispered to the dog. She knew it was a natural thing, she just hated to see it. Of course this made Charles decide it was the perfect time to bark, as if to say "Screw you Lori."

"Quiet you dumb dog." Lori hissed, afraid the barks would garner the unwanted attention of her siblings. It of course did.

The dogs bark alerted Lincoln, who opened to door to his bedroom to see what was going on. Lori had thought that he would have been out with Clyde or Kat doing whatever it was they did when they were out and about. She was wrong. He walked over and scratched Charles on the top of his head, getting the dogs tail going in the excitement of this welcomed attention.

"Hey buddy what's the matter?" Lincoln said., scratching behind the dogs ears.

Lincoln looked up to see Lori standing in her doorway. She looked like a deer caught in the headlights, her red eyes wide and panicked as if she were just stopped by the police. He was surprised to see his sister out of her room, the tall blonde had been locked away her room so much that she was starting to become more elusive than Bigfoot. Leni had even managed to capture a few blurry photos of Lori on trips to the bathroom or to kitchen.

"Hey Lori what's up?" Lincoln said. "Haven't seen you out of your room that much lately."

"Yeah I have been kind of busy getting ready for school." She lied.

"Heh, yeah I'm sorry you didn't get into the schools you wanted." Lincoln said.

"You and me both."

"But, if it makes you feel any better. I'm also glad you're staying around here." Lincoln said with a sheepish smile.

Lori smiled back, walking over and giving her little brother a kiss on the top of his white hair. She often felt that Lincoln was a lot like those superheroes in the comic books he read, only his power was taking care of his sisters. Something he had become an expert at. Not one sister in that house could ever claim that their little brother had not sacrificed his own time or personal gain to make sure his sisters were ok, or that they had gotten something they had wanted. From the outside looking in, it could appear that they used him for their own gain or well-being. This was far from the truth. They loved him more than anything, and would do whatever they had to make sure he was ok as well. Families can have odd ways of showing their love, or can ride each others nerves to a near breaking point. Still, those nerves would bend and twist, yet never actually break. Because in the end, families would always be the ones that would face the flames of hell with you. And Lincoln would just that for any member of his family, often with a goofy smile and a gleam in his eye.

"Come on twerp I'll buy you a cup of coffee." She joked with him.

"But I don't drink coffee. And we don't pay for it."

"Then I will poke the straw into your juice box."

"Now you're talking." Lincoln smiled.

Lori walked down the stairs with her little brother, her arm around him, pulling him close for a half hug as they walked. It was hard to be sad and alone in that house. Lori had tried for a week, but someone finally gotten to her.

Lincoln sat at the table with his sister. She had poked the straw in his juice box like she said she would, something she had not done since he was six. He could see that she had been crying, she was not as good at hiding it as she thought she was. Her eyes looked like his that time he helped his dad cut the jalapeno peppers for dinner, then rubbed his eyes before cleaning his hands. He just hoped they did not burn like his did. That was a special kind of pain, one he imagined was only spared for the worst of the worst.

Lincoln knew that Lori had been sad about Bobby leaving to go and live with his extended family. He was still sad that Ronnie Anne was gone, and they were just friends, he could only imagine what Lori was feeling. Still he noticed that things had gotten a lot worse for her over the past week, just around the time that he and Kat had started to hang out. He began to wonder if his new friendship was making her sad.

"Uh hey Lori, can I ask you something?" He said, rubbing the back of his head.

"As long as it's not about taking you to see that Repzilla movie then shoot." She said.

"No me and Clyde are going to that one." He knew better than to try and expose his sisters to the wonderful world of giant monsters. That was far too cool for them. "It's about me and Kat."

"Are you two having problems already?" Lori's voice showed a bit of concern. She had always hoped that her brother would end up with Ronnie Anne, but in the end she was just glad he found someone that brought a smile to his face.

"No, so far so good. Although she needs to learn to love the nerd culture a little more." He confessed.

Lori pinched the bridge of her nose as she wondered where she went wrong with him. "I thought I taught you better than that." She said.

Lincoln shrugged with that innocent grin that he often flashed.

"No I was just wondering if it was bothering you that I was hanging out with her?"

Lori gawked at Lincoln, a surprised look on her face as she was struck buy the comment. Did he really believe that she would ever be bothered by anyone that he dated? Had she really put out that kind of vibe? She was happy for her family, whether it be Luna and Sam or Lincoln and Kat. She was happy that love and happiness had touched their lives.

"Why would you think that? I don't have any problem with you dating her." Lori said.

"What I mean is that, does it bother you that I am walking around here all happy and such while Bobby is away in another city?"

"No, not at all. Why do think it would bother me?"

"Well you have seemed so sad as of late. And I kinda feel like I have been throwing my happiness around. I thought maybe it was bothering you."

Lori sighed. She had not realized that her own self-pity was making her little brother feel like he should not be happy. She hoped that Luna was not in the boat as her brother. Her issues were her own problems and she did not want her family feeling like they couldn't be themselves around her. If they were happy with who they were with, then she was happy for them.

"Listen, Lincoln." Lori took a deep breath trying to collect her thoughts. She didn't want to tell her brother about all the little nagging thoughts that haunted her mind, she did not want her family to worry about her. She knew how they were, how they would worry and put themselves out to make sure she was fine. She did not want to put her family out like that, not for something she thought was so stupid. This was her problem and she would handle it. "I don't want you to worry about me ok. I am fine, just sad that I have not heard from Bobby in a little while."

"I'm sure he's fine. The guy is head over heels for you." Lincoln reassured his sister. "Could just be kind of busy right now? I haven't heard from Ronnie Anne in a while either."

"So she doesn't know about you and Kat?"

"There isn't much to tell. Right now we are just really good friends who like to hang out."

"So you still haven't crossed that line into the wonderful world of dating?"

"Lori, I'm eleven. Dating at this age is not that much different from being friends." He told his sister. "And it seems so much easier to just be really good friends until we are old enough to actually go on dates."

Lori frowned, she remembered when it was all that simple. Going out and having wonderful adventures, attending cute little dances, and all of that innocent fun before the burden of being a teenager came along to add brick after brick of pressure and drama, building a wall between you and the simple those times. A part of her never wanted to see her brother grow out of that phase in his life. The innocence of childhood always rushed passed like it was late for a meeting or a play date, leaving behind only memories as it's older brother responsibility would enter and kick you square in the teeth.

"You two will make such an adorable couple." Lori said.

"I know." Lincoln said with a cocky smiled.

Lori was not sure how Ronnie Anne would react when she found out about Kat. Lincoln may not have seen it, but Lori sure noticed the looks Bobby's little sister gave her brother. She had caught Ronnie Anne stealing glances a Lincoln, a shy smile on her face. The way Ronnie Anne would blush when Lincoln would touch her hand. She certain that Ronnie Anne was crushing on Lincoln, and would be willing to put money down on the fact that she was not over him. After all, you never forget your first kiss.

"Lori you know you can talk to me if something is wrong." Lincoln said, snapping his sister back.

"There is not much to talk about Lincy, I'm just stressed about school and Bobby." She danced around the truth.

"Seems a bit more than stress."

Lori did not want to talk to her little brother about her drama. He had his own life and problems to deal with, she did not want to add to his, or any of her families worries for that matter. She dealt with her little pity parties since she was Lynn's age. It was nothing new to her and nothing that she could not handle. She was strong enough to pull herself out of her funk. Wasn't she?

"I'm fine." She said.

"Dang it Lori, you don't have to do this stuff alone." Lincoln voice grew a bit more intense.

Lori turned away. She looked out the window to the birds that sang their ballads to mother nature, then turned and studied the tiles on the kitchen floor, and to dishes stacked in the sink, leaning as if they threatened to fall if not soon washed and dried. She was looking to anything really, anything she could use to avoid her brothers worried gaze. She could not bare to look at him, she was supposed to be the older one, the reliable one, the one they could all turn to. She was not supposed to be so weak, so fragile, so human. Sure her brother was great at helping his sisters through their own personal crisis's, but that was not his responsibility. He had already put himself out for his sisters far too many times, she did not want to add this to the growing pile of crap her little brother had to deal with. He was eleven years old, he should be out playing, reading his comics, climbing trees, and making plans for his first kiss with Kat. Not playing a damned therapist for his older sister.

"I've heard you in the bathroom at night." Lincoln told her.

Lori fought the urge to snap her head right back around and look into his eyes with the panic that was now starting to drown her. She had thought she was so clever, waiting for her family to fall asleep before she went into the bathroom to have her nightly discussion with her personal demons. She forgot how thin the walls in the house really were. Her heart sank as she wondered just how many others in the house were worried about her, had heard the long degrading tirades she spoke into the mirror version of herself.

"I've heard you crying, saying your not pretty enough or smart enough." Lincoln told her. "Is that really how you see yourself?"

Lori continued to look away. She choked back the tears and the growing lump that forced its way to her throat.

"Lori I know what it's like to look down on yourself."

This made Lori finally whip her head around, her eyes locked on Lincoln with a puzzled look, as she wondered just how her little brother could understand her feelings. She hated the thought of him seeing himself in any sort of negative light. Often times glaring at him if he even made a joke or slight comment about not being good enough to do something.

"You're not the only one who thinks they might not be good enough. The thought crosses my mind all the time to." He confessed.

Lori's jaw dropped. "Well you're wrong. You are better than good enough. Do you hear me?" She told him, a bit more fear and intensity in her voice then she intended.

"I know that is how you guys see me, despite my overwhelming number of screw ups." He chuckled. "And I appreciate that. But it will never stop those thoughts from crossing my mind sometimes. Whenever one of you guys comes home with a really good report card, or a ribbon, or trophy. Those thoughts start to creep in. I mean the only trophy I have ever gotten was a pity trophy from you guys."

"Lincoln ..." Lori started to say.

"It's a pity trophy." He said, putting his hand up to stop her from arguing with him. "I'm fine with. It was really sweet of you guys to do it, and I love it. Still, I know what it is."

This silenced Lori, who was not sure what to make of what her brother was telling her. She was concerned about him, knowing the thoughts that drifted through her mind, she did not want Lincoln thinking anything like that.

"The point I am trying to make is that you are not alone." He reached out and put his hand over hers. "None of those things you say to yourself are true. And we are all here to help remind you of that, and to talk if you ever need it."

Lori sighed. Living with ten sisters had made Lincoln often seem much older and wiser then his age. He had become so skilled at helping his sisters through their problems, or just being an easy shoulder for them to cry on that they did not notice how how quickly he was maturing.

"I just hate you guys seeing me like that." She confessed. "I'm supposed to be the older sister, the one you can all come to for help or advice."

"It doesn't matter how old you are Lori, every one needs a shoulder to cry on or a good set of ears to talk to. We will never look at you as weak for that." He told her that.

"Thanks Lincoln." Lori tussled her brothers hair.

"Don't mess with hair, I got a da ... I mean I'm meeting Kat later." He said trying to put his hair back the way it was.

Lori smiled at her little brother. Once again she had looked into the dark and bitter void of her own self loathing, this time being drawn back buy the beaming white light of her little brother. Even if Bobby left her for the fantasy woman that haunted her imagination, and even if she never found another guy to love her in that way again, it did not matter. Because she realized there would always be a man in her life that would except her for who she was, and would love her no matter what. One man that would never let her down and would always help her back up. He was a white haired boy who was far wiser than his years would let on, and he was her hero.

End

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So now that it is all said and done I can say this. There are a few reasons why this story is kind of important, at leas to me. One, with this I am introducing some continuity between certain stories. No Caught is not a part of that continuity (sorry). So far it consists of the Leni and Lisa stories, New Comic Day, and this one. Others are coming. I also dropped some hints at future stories, as well as did some foreshadowing of events. From here on out I am going to be toying with these characters, doing things the cartoon can not do. That does not mean incest or alot of sex and drugs or stuff, just letting the characters grow and mature. If you're not cool with that, then you're gonna wanna stop reading my stuff. There will also be some OC's as the show does not have enough characters to fill out all that I need. I am open to ideas and concerns, post them in the reviews or hit me up and I will listen. Can't guarantee I will use them, but I will listen.

Also, yes I do have plans for Kat and Lincoln, so you will see more with them in the near future if you are a fan.


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